Welcome back all! The 2019 college football season is in the books, but before we completely say goodbye to NCAA football for another year, let's take a look ahead to 2020 for a moment. Everyone knows Clemson's Trevor Lawrence & Ohio State's Justin Fields will be the marque players to watch heading into next fall, but what about some of the other lesser-known guys out there? The nation is full of talented players, and before we put college football to bed for the season, let's first take a look at 5 under-the-radar players to watch heading into the 2020 season.
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All five players are from "lesser", group of 5 conferences, but all had an impact on the 2019 college football season, and are in-line to have even more of an impact on next season. Don't sleep on any of the 5 or their programs in 2020 - I wouldn't be surprised if some - or all of them burst onto the scene in a bigger way next year. Without further ado, here are my Top 5 Under-rated Players to Watch for 2020:
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1) ZAC THOMAS QB JR Appalachian State
225-359, 2,718 pass yds, 28TD, 6INT, 62.7 comp %, 148.7 rating
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Thomas built off of a solid Sophomore campaign in which he threw for 21TDs & only 6INTs, by throwing for 28TDs and again only 6 INTs during 2019. He led the Mountaineers to an impressive 13-1 mark, which included a Sun Belt Conference Title & 31-17 New Orleans Bowl victory over UAB. Appalachian State is 24-3 with a pair of Conference Titles over the past two years with Thomas at the helm.
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He should be on plenty of preseason Awards watchlists heading into 2020, and the Mountaineers could even start the season ranked in the top 25 for the first time in program history. In addition to the impressive passing numbers, he's also a threat with his legs - totaling nearly 1,000 yards on the ground (944) and another 17 rushing scores over the past two seasons. Watch out for the Mountaineers next year, they could even push for a New Year's Six Bowl birth behind the experienced Thomas.
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2) KENNY GAINWELL RB FR Memphis
231 - 1,459 rush yds, 13TDs; 6.3ypc
51 - 610 rec yds, 3TD
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As his name suggests, Gainwell did just that, gaining nearly 2,100 total yards as a Freshman. He was an absolute beast in Memphis's high-octane offense, helping to lead them to an impressive 12-2 record & American Athletic Championship. The 5'11 frosh totalled 13 rushing TDs & nearly 1,500 yards on the ground.
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It wasn't just as a runner however, where he made his mark. He also piled up 51 catches for 610 yards receiving, while adding another 3 scores as a pass-catcher. After averaging 147.8 total yards per game as just a Freshman, the future is looking very bright for both Gainwell & the Tigers.
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3) LAYNE HATCHER QB FR Arkansas State
204-310, 2,946 pass yds, 27TD, 10INT, 65.8 comp %, 167.9 rating
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Hatcher turned in a pretty remarkable freshman season for the Red Wolves. In only 10 games, the Alabama transfer was able to throw for 27 TD passes and just under 3,000 yards. He averaged 9.5 yards per pass attempt - good for 6th best in all of college football - and just ahead of Ohio State's outstanding QB Justin Fields. He also completed close to 66% of his passes already as freshman - which was good for 17th in the country & tied with Clemson's Trevor Lawrence at 65.8%.
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Hatcher led the Sun Belt in completion %, yards per attempt, and passing efficiency rating, while finishing 3rd in both passing yards & TD passes - not bad for a freshman. He led the Red Wolves to an 8-5 record - including a 34-26 Camellia Bowl victory over Florida International. Even with the loss of the country's leading receiving to graduation in Senior Omar Bayless, with Hatcher performing so well after stepping in as just a Freshman, the near future appears to be plenty bright for Arkansas State.
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4) JADAN BLUE WR SO Temple
95 - 1,067 rec yds, 4TD; 11.2ypc
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Blue's 95 receptions were good for 7th in the country, & his 7.3 receptions per game were just behind LSU's Justin Jefferson for 8th in the nation. The Sophomore receiver helped lead the Owls to an 8-5 record & birth in the Military Bowl.
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Blue showed flashes of his potential during an impressive 3-game stretch in November where he put up stat lines of 11-121; 12-131-1; & 13-120 against South Florida, Tulane, and Cincinnati, respectively - all bowl teams. Despite the Owls getting blown out by North Carolina in the Military Bowl, he still managed a very solid 92 yards on 8 catches. Keep an eye on Blue in 2020 - he could be in-line for a monster season in the American Athletic.
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5) CARLTON MARTIAL LB SO Troy
126 total tkls, 18.5FL, 4.0sacks, 1pd, 3INT, 1TD, 3FF, 1FR
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Troy might have suffered a disappointing 5-7 record in 2019 ending a 3-year Bowl streak, but sophomore LB Carlton Martial did not. All Martial did was pile up 126 total tackles, 18.5 going for loss - both amongst the nation's leaders. He also intercepted 3 passes, forced 3 fumbles, and scored a defensive TD.
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Look for the Trojans to return to a Bowl game in 2020, and for Martial to lead the way on the defensive side. He was a play-maker all year long, and had one of his best games of the season against conference Champion Appalachian State in the season finale - racking up 13 tackles, 2 of which went for loss. He already has a spot on my 2020 pre-season All-American team.
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